Padma Lakshmi custody battle

Padma Lakshmi is "devastated" that her baby daddy Adam Dell has taken their custody issues public.

Adam Dell filed custody papers with the court for sole custody of his daughter with Padma Lakshmi as the clock on the couple's temporary agreement ticks away -- and the Top Chef host is astounded he went to the press before he went to her lawyer.

A friend relayed a conversation with Lakshmi to People. "She said, 'I'm living in a nightmare.' She's a single working mother who is trying very hard to have a peaceful and calm environment for her daughter. The recent events are making it difficult."

Adam is telling friends he was left with no choice. "Adam wanted to avoid going to court, but it was so frustrating trying to find a co-parenting agreement [that] he had to take this action," said a source close to Dell. "He's seeking sole custody of his daughter -- but he's hoping for a shared custody agreement."

A statement released by Lakshmi's rep said:

"Ms. Lakshmi believes that family matters should be kept private. She asks that those who join her in wanting the best for her daughter do the same. Twenty-four hours after the NY Post was told about Adam Dell's lawsuit, neither Padma Lakshmi nor her lawyers had received a copy of it; they only learned of it through a statement Mr. Dell provided to the press. Ms. Lakshmi's sole interest lies in preserving the privacy and welfare of her daughter and in working out a fair and amicable agreement out of the media's glare."

Dell is a billionaire venture capitalist and brother of computer king Michael Dell. Lakshmi has never requested child support from her baby daddy. If she was seeking nothing more than a sperm donor who would go on his merry way, she seems to have barked up the wrong tree.